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Weekend Warriors Pt. 1: Segovia

Segovia Travel Blog › entry 9 of 15 › view all entries

So I'm here in Spain for the next year to work as an au pair. Although to say I work would be an insult to people who actually do work hard for a living. I think this place might be the death of me (if not my liver) but I'm having the time of my life meanwhile. Luckily my work schedule allows me to travel a lot. If you're looking for a serious travel blog...move along nothing to see here. But if you want to read all about my crazy,drunk adventures as I traipse through Europe...enjoy! cheers!

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Weekend Warriors Pt. 1: Segovia

February 16, 2008

the Cathedral from a distance

I apparently lack motivation at times. Madrid is so close to other cities worthy of a look, yet I haven't done much adventuring within Spain. So at Lindsey's suggestion, we decided to become weekend warriors and try to visit a new city each weekend. First stop? Segovia in Comunidad Autonoma de Castille y Leon.

Segovia is a quaint city best known for its 2,000+ year old Roman Aqueducts. I'm actually not quite sure how long it is, but it is quite impressive. Even more so because it was built without any mortar and is still in excellent condition. How do you explain the ability for it to still be standing despite using mortar? 'twas built by the Devil naturally!

In Segovia you will also find the charming Alcázar. Locals will have you believe that it inspired Walt Disney to design Sleeping Beauty's castle and Disney's subsequent logo after the castle.

.. Whether or not you believe in the lore, it truly is a castle straight out of of storybook.

We took the cercanias train out of the Chamartin train station in Madrid and only paid about 10 euros round trip. It was about 2 hours away or so, and well worth it. I love Segovia! The train station in Segovia is about a 20-30 minute walk to the Plaza Mayor, but there is a bus you can take if you don't feel like walking. I of course recommend lacing up and walking through it; you'll see much more. It was also how we stumbled through the Judería with its narrow, twisting streets.

There is also La dama de las catedrales españolas, the Cathedral of Segovia. Considered one of the last, great Gothic cathedrals, it is breathtaking. And as a fan of Antonio Machado's work, I was excited to stop by the museum dedicated to him.

I recommend taking a peek, just to see the cute green house if nothing more.

"Segovia rewards the wanderer" and so at the behest of Let's Go!, we ditched our maps and wandered around a bit. And it was right. We found our reward in some ice cold cañas and free pinchos at a local dive bar. We made sure to continue to reward ourselves and wandered into a few more as well.

Segovia is also known for its Cochinillo Asado. I am also known for nearly puking when I saw it.

If you find yourself in Madrid in need of a daytrip, this would be my number one recommendation. My favorite of all the nearby cities for sure!